Stott's Pasture
The name 'Stott's Pasture' appears to come from a Thomas Stott who is named on the 1838 tithe map of Newbottle. It was also known by the name of Nicholson’s Farm and was a small settlement, roughly triangular in shape, approximately one mile east of Bournmoor. In the 18th and 19th century, it consisted of a sizeable population. The site is crossed by the Herrington Burn which would have been a very important water source when this was a working farm and although its name does indeed suggest farming, by the 18th century its inhabitants were employed in industry; at the nearby pits as well as Penshaw Foundry and the various “Engines” located close by. Of the many pits which were within easy walking distance of Stott’s Pastures the closest were A Pit, B, Pit, C Pit, Success Pit, Margaret Pit, Bourn Moor, Jane, Mary and Dorothea to name just a few.
Today it still retains the name Stott’s Pasture. "Stott" is a Middle English word meaning a steer, or bull, indicating that this is where such animals were kept.
Many modern-day road users unknowingly pass by Stott’s Pastures at the junction of Golf Course Road, Blind Lane and Success Row, between Shiney Row and Sedgeletch. Blind Lane is marked on the 1915 map below, as is the actual golf course after which Golf Course Road is named. Quite what this golf course was like is open to debate, no known pictures of it exist. It was sandwiched between known areas of heavy industry such as the coke works at Elba, various pits and the Northern Hospital (for infectious diseases). Note the proximity of the "A" Pit on the 1862 map. The earliest mention of the golf course that I have found to date is in a newspaper article from June 1911 which reported on the formation of the club, to be known as "The Lambton Collieries Official Golf Club" and a list of club officials is given. The latest reference is in an article dated May 1933 which lists the competitors who had taken part in a "stroke competition" at the course.
The older maps, from 1862 and 1898 also show the main road running past Stott’s Pastures. What is today Golf Course Road, leading to Stott’s Pastures from the Boundary area of Shiney Row was once the access road to Nicholson’s Farm, later Stott’s Pastures. This road ran in a straight line. It was extended at a later date to join up with Blind Lane, hence the way the road bends around Stott’s Pastures, following an old land boundary.
Below is a list of surnames for Stott’s Pastures taken from the births and deaths in the parish registers (1762-1847) of Chester-le-Street, Penshaw and Houghton-le-Spring Parish Churches. The male professions stated in the registers bear witness to the many trades carried out by the inhabitants of Stott’s Pastures over the years. For further information on any of the names listed, please contact the Webmaster via the email address on the Home Page of this website. The project of transcribing the Electoral Rolls (1885-1931) and 1939 Register for Stott's Pasture and Junction Row is started and ongoing.
List of surnames:
Almond
Barfoot
Blackbird
Blackburn
Blenkinsop
Brown
Burn
Burnop
Cartledge
Charlton
Clough
Coulson
Curry
Dunn
Emmerson
Fenwick
Featonby
Forsyth
Gates
Golightly
Green
Hall
Henderson
Johnson
Kirkup
Laws
Lawton
Liddel / Liddle
Maddison
Marshall
Miller
Moor
Moralee
Pyle
Reay
Richardson
Robinson
Robson
Roxby
Smith
Soulsby
Southern
Steel
Thirlaway
Widdowfield
Wilkin
Wilson
Woodifield
Wright
Young
YouTube video of Stott's Pasture and area by Chris Longley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbfYUU9O04w
Maps and Images of Stott's Pasture.
A link to drone video footage of modern-day Stott's Pasture and Junction Row can be found on the "Site Links" page of this website and comes courtesy of Mr Richard Barksby.
Above: 1862 map showing Stott's Pasture in centre
Above: 1898 map showing Stott's Pasture in centre
Above: 1915 map showing Stott's Pasture in centre
Above: Stott's Pasture, 1951
Above: Modern aerial map showing Stott's Pasture in centre
Above: The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel at Stott's Pasture
Above: the remains of the old farm at Stott's Pasture
Above: Stott's Pasture and the remains of the old farm, far left
Above: graph illustrating total number of baptisms for people from Stott's Pasture at Chester-le-Street, Penshaw and Houghton-le-Spring Parish Church registers, 1762-1847
Above: graph illustrating total number of burials for people from Stott's Pasture at Chester-le-Street, Penshaw and Houghton-le-Spring Parish Church registers, 1762-1847
